Chapter Seven
The girls hung out in the room as the moms checked on the progress. Jane was sitting in a chair and taking deep breaths. “Are you okay?” Lauren asked her. Her best friend teared up and nodded.
“People said that I was too young for this…a lot of them said that. I know that I’m young, but I have all the hope in the world. I love Adam, and he loves me. It’s that simple.”
Lauren nodded. “It is. Anyone looking at the two of you can see that. There’s always those people and there always will be. Go with your gut, since it’s gotten you pretty far in life.”
Jane laughed and wiped her cheeks as Lauren giggled with her. They’d made some stupid girlish mistakes when they were younger, but they were healthy and responsible adults now.
The families came back and let them know that everyone was waiting. Jane widened her eyes and fanned her face. “You’ve got this,” Lauren told her as she hugged her one last time as a single woman. Adam’s parents went down the aisle to take their seats while Jane’s mom hugged her daughter tightly. She was crying when she went out and was led by Adam to her seat. He took his place back next to Cole. Lauren peered around the corner of the building. They looked so handsome.
Lauren took her place as the harp started to play, counting her steps until she reached the aisle of pink, purple and white rose petals. The wind was soft and the crowd quiet apart from the sweet comments about her dress or how pretty she looked. Lauren blushed and looked forward, catching Cole’s intense stare as she blushed further.
He looked a little star struck and Lauren pressed her soft pink lips together and hoped that her eyes still popped like they did earlier. Cole locked gazes with her as she walked, making her forget all about the counting or even the setting. She turned and moved to the left to stand next to the preacher as she smiled at Adam, who looked like he was struggling with his emotions.
When Canon started playing, and everyone looked towards the end where Jane was walking with her dad, Adam was the first to cry. Most everyone followed suit and Jane stared forward with an intent gaze on her flawless face, as if to not give in, though meeting her soon-to-be husband’s eyes did that in. They both cried through their vows and laughed through their awkward kiss as Lauren clutched the bouquets and watched them with a soaring heart. Jane had hugged him before they were announced and grabbed Adam’s arm to skip down the aisle while grinning.
Lauren watched as Cole held out his hand and she took it to walk down the aisle after the couple, still a little teary eyed over what she’d just seen.
Forget age. Forget expectations. Lauren was in love with Cole, and she knew that they’d have what Jane and Adam had someday in the future too.
They walked on behind Jane and Adam. In one of the rows they passed, she saw a girl with dark brown eyes staring coldly at her. It made her frown. Who could be so angry at a wedding? “Do you know that girl?” she asked Cole as they were walking towards the barn.
“Yeah. Don’t worry about it, baby,” Cole said with an uncomfortable look on his handsome face.
“What do you mean? Who is she?” Lauren asked as he looked away towards the people who were coming over to the barn.
“She’s an ex. Her name is Kim. I dated her before Kelsey. We ended amicably but she’s probably just not happy seeing me with someone else is all. It’s not important. You’re everything to me.” Cole kissed her before turning to walk into the barn. The guests were sitting down at the tables. The music started to play and staff from the restaurant started stirring the various tins of hot food that were set up. Adam had chosen a local barbecue restaurant to cater while Jane had a bakery create all sorts of cute pastries that were set up on the side.
The new couple was announced and walked in. Everyone was cheering and whistling and Jane spun around with a big grin on her face. All of the nerves were gone now, and she was ready to party as she greeted people on the way to the table. Lauren sat with Cole and looked over the faces slowly since there were many people she didn’t know.
Lauren saw Kim chatting with another girl. Kim looked more glamorous than Lauren was, with light blonde hair that hung over her shoulders in a thick curtain and shimmering honey colored eyes that Lauren would probably never forget.
Lauren looked away as Kim’s head swiveled her way and pretended to focus on sipping the water placed in front of her. Cole was clapping for his friends, and she smiled at him. He kissed her cheek lightly.
Once all of the formalities were out of the way, everyone dug into the food and the music got louder. Several people came to their table to greet Cole. They shook Lauren’s hand or even hugged her and she felt overwhelmed by the smiles and warm greetings. Cole was obviously well-liked, and she smiled when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
They just finished up eating when Lauren saw Kim approaching the table. “Cole,” she said with a strange look in her eyes. “How have you been?”
“I’m great, Kim. How about you?” Cole asked as Lauren fidgeted beside him. He glanced over at her and smiled. “This is Lauren, Kim. She’s new to town and has been Jane’s best friend for years.”
The girls shook hands lightly. Lauren forced a smile on her face.
“So Jane and Adam did it, huh? I always thought we’d be next,” Kim said. Lauren rose in her seat while Cole squeezed her hand.
“We were never going to be next, Kim, and you know that. I’m happy now, and I wish the same for you.” He smiled at Lauren. Kelsey narrowed her eyes and looked between them.
“Yeah…thanks.” Kim turned around and left. Lauren watched her perfect curves walk away from them. Cole hadn’t been unkind with his words, but very direct. Lauren looked at him.
“Wow.”
“What?” Cole asked as he looked down at Lauren. “She had no chance, baby. Come, let’s forget about her and dance.”
They got up and walked over to the dance floor. Cole was a great dancer, and she found it fairly easy to follow along with his casual teaching. A lot of the guests joined them, and Lauren smiled at Jane and Adam. Cole pressed a long kiss to her lips before the up-tempo song changed into a slower one, giving them another chance to kiss as the sound of silverware against glasses filled the air.
“They look great,” Cole told Lauren as he pulled her close and stared into her eyes. “Is it nice to finally relax and enjoy? You’ve been working so hard to help her with this.”
“Well, she helped me a lot too, with fixing up the house. I loved helping her, but I just missed you.” Lauren stood higher on her toes to kiss him. He held her tightly and stroked her hair. They lost themselves for a moment before Lauren pulled away for a breath and looked around. “Oh, God. They’re looking at us.”
“So what? Let them,” Cole said and he kissed her again, making Lauren laugh out loud, all of her embarrassment leaving her.
They made the toasts, with Cole being far more confident than Lauren, shuffling her feet and getting sappy towards Jane. They all hugged and cried. Adam embraced Lauren tightly and she went to sit down. They stopped to take pictures several times throughout the evening for the local photographer, making Lauren get sick of smiling so much. But it was hard not to, especially when it was just her and Cole posing for the camera.
They cut the cake and Adam sweetly fed Jane a piece. Then he kissed her while she wrapped her arms around his neck. She threw the smaller bouquet a while later, and Lauren caught it with wide eyes. Some of the women clapped and others looked like their world was ending.